Thinking of Coltrane

As a high school student first piquing my interest in jazz, I remember becoming fascinated by the way John Coltrane cut through the changes of standard repertoire in the ensembles of Miles Davis.The Prestige album Workin’ was one of the first albums that I ever purchased, and the solos of Miles and Trane on the tracks ‘Trane’s Blues’ and ‘In Your Own Sweet Way’ were some of the first material that I ever transcribed. To a young listener developing my ears with the vocabulary of jazz, I found it enthralling to listen to Trane flow effortlessly and melodically across harmonic changes. In Your Own Sweet Way [audio:http://www.evancobbjazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/in-your-own-sweet-way.mp3] As I furthered my musical studies, I found that I preferred the playing of a number of John …

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Old Friends Coming To Nashville

One of my favorite aspects of being a musician is that the job has allowed me to travel around the country.  Experiencing the local customs of new places is exciting and often quite comical.  Besides trying local exotic foods (fried cheese curds dipped in blue cheese – thank you Green Bay) and learning about local stereotypes (ask a UPer what a ‘FIB’ is), I also met a lot of new people.  When Buddha’s Belly was traveling almost every weekend, we were very fortunate to make acquaintances with many music lovers as well as many other music makers.  While many people are quick to make friends over dark lighting and many beers, few of those encounters last beyond the sobering breakfast that follows.    That being …

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A Highlight Recording From Last Week

I thought you might enjoy hearing a recording from my gig at the Nashville Jazz Workshop last week.  The septet played the music of Thelonious Monk, and I got to share the lead honors with Denis Solee on Monk’s gorgeous ballad “Ruby My Dear.”  Denis and I split up the melody and solos, so he starts off the tune, and I take the tune from the bridge each time.    Ruby My Dear [audio:http://www.evancobbjazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ruby-my-dear.mp3]     Please let me know if you enjoy the recording.  If you do I’ll consider posting more recent recordings.   -evan

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